Las Monjitas, Loro Piana win in British Open
By Herbert Spencer
Camilo Bautista’s Las Monjitas narrowly defeated Nick Clarke’s Salkeld 11-10 in a close fought league match Friday in the British Open Championship for the Veuve Clicquot Gold Cup at Cowdray Park Polo Club.
The two teams were never more than a goal or two apart throughout most of the match, with the lead changing and the game all tied up time after time.
Salkeld drew first blood with a goal by England’s Luke Tomlinson. The first chukka ended with a 2-2 tie and the second period finished with the teams equal, 3-3.
Clarke’s side finished the third chukka 5-4 up, but then failed to score in the fourth period as Las Monjitas’s Ignacio Heguy found the posts twice to put his team 6-5 up. Scoring was equal in the fifth chukka, leaving Las Monjitas leading 8-7.
In the sixth and final chukka, two goals by Tomlinson and a third by James Beim put Selkeld ahead, but Las Monjitas responded with a goal by Heguy and two by their Francisco Elizalde, the last on a penalty conversion, to give Bautista’s side their 11-10 win in Group A.
In the day’s other match, Alfio Marchini’s Loro Piana swamped Paul Oberschneider’s La Golondrina 12-6, dominating most of this Group B game from start to finish.